Site Mobile Navigation

2 Plead Guilty in School Case on Long Island

Two former employees of the William Floyd School District pleaded guilty to grand larceny charges yesterday in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead, and in an unrelated case, two others were arraigned on charges that they faked a letter of recommendation.

The district's former treasurer, James Wright, 57, of Bohemia, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree grand larceny. According to the Suffolk County district attorney's office, Mr. Wright stole more than $750,000 from district coffers.

He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of filing false reports, in connection with keeping federal grant money that should have been returned, said Robert Clifford, a spokesman for the district attorney.

A former assistant superintendent for business, Daniel Cifonelli, 71, of Port Jefferson Station, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree grand larceny, one count of third-degree grand larceny, and four counts of money laundering. Mr. Cifonelli simultaneously collected both a retirement pension and a consultant's salary, Mr. Clifford said.

As part of the plea agreements, prosecutors will recommend that Mr. Wright serve two to six years in prison and Mr. Cifonelli three to nine.

In the other case, Dennis Fidotta, 55, the assistant superintendent for business, and Michael Schildkraut, 59, a retired assistant superintendent for personnel, surrendered and were arraigned on one count of filing a false instrument. They pleaded not guilty and were released on their own recognizance.

Mr. Fidotta obtained a falsified letter of recommendation for Mr. Schildkraut's daughter-in-law that led to her being hired as a district accountant, court papers said. The letter said that Jennifer Lieber had worked for the district auditor for two years but that she had been there just one day, prosecutors said.